China accuses Australia of political bias against Huawei

17 Feb, 2020 14:50

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© AFP / Daniel Leal-Olivas 

The Australian government's decision to ban tech giant Huawei from its 5G rollout is "politically motivated," according to the Chinese ambassador Cheng Jingye.

"It has become a sore point or thorny issue in the bilateral relations as it damages mutual trust between the two sides," he told Sky News on Monday, calling it "a discrimination against the Chinese company."

The ambassador's criticism comes amid Australia's dispute with the UK over London's decision to allow Huawei to set up its 5G network.

According to Cheng, the UK government made a "sensible" decision to not kowtow to "external pressure" from critical nations.

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In August 2018, Australia banned Huawei from joining the country's 5G rollout citing security concerns. The United States, which also barred the Chinese tech firm, has been pressing allies not to grant Huawei access to their 5G networks. Washington accused Huawei of spying for Beijing, a charge which both the tech company and the Chinese government have repeatedly denied.